Saudi cleric and TV celebrity Fayah al-Ghamdi used a cane and cables to brutally torture and kill his 5-year-old daughter, Lama, doubting her virginity. He was on his way out of prison after agreeing a Judge ruled that “blood money” to the mother was sufficient penalty. Saudi law does not allow the death penalty for a man who murders either his wife or his children. The blood money specified is half that of what would have been paid, had Lama been a boy. Saudis are “outraged” and want him dead. That’s an improvement. I hope men are among the “outraged.

Little Lama and Father, Fayah al-Ghamdi

Albawaba News reported the judge as saying: “Blood money and the time the defendant had served in prison since Lama’s death suffices as punishment.”…

The Times reported sources in the Saudi capital Riyadh as saying the royal family had been “stung” by the outrage over the case, with senior members intervening to ensure a stricter punishment is given.

One source told the newspaper, “The royal court is now looking at the case. He [Al-Ghamdi] will stay in prison for a long time.”

The £31,000 blood money Al-Ghamdi agreed to pay is considered compensation under Islamic law, although it is only half the amount that would have been paid had Lama been a boy.Source: The Independent

The Saudi government has set up a 24-hour hotline to take reports about child abuse. We’ll see how long that lasts.